Objective Work Plan

Objective Work Plan (OWP) Guidance

The OWP is an OMB-approved form required by ANA for applicants to identify the project goal, objectives, activities, and results and benefits. It represents the plan for achieving the project objectives and is provided to assist applicants with identifying the outcomes expected. A project cannot have more than three objectives per entire project period. An OWP must be completed for each objective for each budget period of the project period.  In multi-year projects, some objectives may continue for multiple budget periods.  

Below is guidance on how to fill out each section of the OWP:   

1. ANA Project Title: Identify the title of the project.
2. Project Goal: Identify the goal of the project. The goal should relate to the project’s problem statement.
3. Project Year: Identify the project year (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5).
4. Objectives:  A statement of the specific outcomes or results to be achieved within the project period, which directly contribute to the achievement of the project goal(s) and support the community's long-range goals.  Only three objectives per project are allowed. Together, the objectives should address the project goal. The objectives should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and results-oriented, and Time-bound (S.M.A.R.T.).
5. Problem Statement: Identify the problem statement included in the application.
6. Results Expected: This section of the OWP is used to define the results to be achieved by the project and to track quarterly progress toward accomplishing each objective. Identify well-defined results which directly support the accomplishment of each objective and provide quarterly milestones.
7. Benefits Expected: This section of the OWP is used to define the benefits to be derived from the project and to track quarterly progress toward accomplishing each objective. Identify well-defined benefits which will be derived from the accomplishment of each objective and provide quarterly milestones.
8. Criteria for Evaluating Results Expected: The criteria for evaluating results must identify how the applicant will monitor progress and measure achievement of the results expected.
9. Criteria for Evaluating Benefits Expected: The criteria for evaluating benefits must identify how the applicant will monitor progress and measure achievement of the benefits expected. The criteria should be verifiable and documented during the project.
10. Activities: For each objective, list activities that provide clear and logical steps to achieve the objective. The activities included may be significant activities (e.g., hiring staff), ongoing activities (e.g., monthly meetings with partners and stakeholders), and required actions (e.g., submission of ANA reports and attendance at ANA post-award training). Especially useful are activities which show progress or results on a quarterly basis.
11. Position Performing the Activity:  Identify the title(s) of the salaried project staff person (lead position) as well as other support personnel responsible for performing each activity.
12. Time Period:  Identify realistic time periods to complete each activity. Use absolute dates from the start of the project (e.g. September 30, 2013). September 30^th is the start date for each budget period and September 29^th is the end date for each budget period. For language grants, the start date is August 1^st and the end date for each budget period is July 31^st.

For additional information on the elements of the OWP, please refer to Section IV.2 Project Description of ANA’s Funding Opportunity Announcements.

For electronic submission of your application, please review the guidance below on how to fill out the OWP on Grants.gov.

1. Fill out the SF-424 with the official title of your project which will then transfer to the Objective Work Plan “title” field.  The “title” field is not editable as it pulls directly from the SF-424.
2. All open fields are required with the exception of the “other support” field.  An error message will pop up for all other blank fields included in the form.
3. Use complete dates including the month/day/year (for example: 00/00/0000).  There is a calendar option as well in which you can choose a date on the pop up option.  If the applicant is inputting future years, the manual entry is usually the faster option for entering the beginning and end dates.
4. Please ensure that the begin date is before the end date.  Please also ensure that the begin and end dates are not the same exact date.
5. Applicants should add only one activity at a time.  If the applicant adds many activity fields without filling in the information, there will be multiple pop ups due to incomplete fields. 
6. The Objective Work Plan should be organized by project year not objective.  For example, if your project has 3 objectives for 3 years than you should organize your OWP listing all of year 1’s objectives then start on year 2, and complete the form with year 3’s objectives.
7. When you add a project year to the form, the objectives from the previous year will automatically pre-populate to the new project year added.  Applicants will have the ability to edit and subtract these objectives and objective statements if they are not necessary for the final work plan. As a reminder, you can only have 3 objectives for the entire project period.